On Paintbrushes, Prussia, and Portraits – The Digital Legacy of the Painter Minna Pfüller (1824–1907)

Charlotte Wilhelmine (Minna) Pfüller was born in 1824 into a family of artisans in Berlin. She was one of the first women to gain access to the art world, which had until then been dominated by men. Recommended to the Prussian court, she produced numerous portraits of the royal family, which were sent to royal houses across Europe. Grand Duchess Alice of Hesse had her portrait painted by Minna on several occasions. Minna Pfüller’s estate, which includes letters, diary entries, and drawings, is now housed at the Kassel State Library.

After a brief introduction to the ORKA platform, where the documents are made available, you will have the opportunity to decipher the texts written in German cursive script and transcribe them on the computer (to produce a clean copy). Bring a piece of (art) history back to life and make the full texts permanently available on ORKA for future generations.

An initiative of the University Library, the State Library, and the Murhard Library of the City of Kassel in cooperation with vhs Region Kassel

Dates: November5 and 6, 2026, 2:00–4:00 p.m. each day. The course content builds upon itself.

Register by email at: orka[at]bibliothek.uni-kassel[dot]de